🔗 Share this article Andy Murray Concedes He Fell Short of the Targeted Results with Djokovic Novak Djokovic won 25 victories out of 36 meetings against his longstanding rival Andy Murray. Andy Murray has commented that he "probably fell short of the results I would have liked" during his brief tenure mentoring his former rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who finalized his illustrious career at the 2024 Paris Olympics, entered Djokovic's team last November, but the arrangement dissolved after only half a year. In his maiden coaching role, the 38-year-old Murray teamed up with the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the Australian Open in 2025 and several additional tournaments. "It's a job coaching not only one of the best tennis players but one of the best athletes of all time, so my assumption was that it was going to be exceptionally tough," Murray said in an interview. He went on to say, "Novak, like myself, is a perfectionist in terms of the way he goes about his tennis, [it] is highly intense." Looking Back at the Experience Looking back, Murray expressed that he is happy he accepted the role. "It's an amazing experience that I've had," he said. During their time together, Djokovic overcame Carlos Alcaraz to make the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was forced to retire injured from his clash against Alexander Zverev. Following that, upon his comeback, Djokovic endured first-round losses in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before falling in the Miami Open final to Czech teenager Jakub Mensik. "It was unfortunate what happened in Australia with the injury, but I watched him play sensational tennis in that tournament," Murray recalled. "After the injury, it was certainly a difficult few months for him, but also I think for the team and all of us. I was disheartened. Probably didn't get the results I would have liked for him. But I gained valuable insight about what coaching is." A Challenging Start and Playing Reflections Murray also disclosed an incident from his first day on the job, when he was asked to join Djokovic on a run. He suffered through calf cramps so as not to fail his fellow former world number one—a moment he labeled "awkward." Reflecting on his own stellar playing career, Murray admitted he "could have taken more breaks" to enjoy his successes, including after his two Olympic victories. Views on the Tennis Schedule The conversation shifted to the modern tennis calendar, a topic of concern among top players. Murray, who was affected by injuries in his latter career, had been against increasing the number of two-week ATP 1,000 tournaments, believing the increased time on the road would negatively impact players. "I don't think there's anything that suggests players are getting injured more than before. But I do think players are more weary and psychologically drained than they were before because they're spending more days away on the road," Murray stated. "When you're more fatigued, you're more sensitive to pain and discomfort. My feeling is that's what players are feeling now, just being away for longer. "I don't think the matches are so much more demanding than they were 10, 15 years ago. But it's the volume of time that players are away on the road that's genuinely an issue."
Novak Djokovic won 25 victories out of 36 meetings against his longstanding rival Andy Murray. Andy Murray has commented that he "probably fell short of the results I would have liked" during his brief tenure mentoring his former rival, Novak Djokovic. Murray, who finalized his illustrious career at the 2024 Paris Olympics, entered Djokovic's team last November, but the arrangement dissolved after only half a year. In his maiden coaching role, the 38-year-old Murray teamed up with the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the Australian Open in 2025 and several additional tournaments. "It's a job coaching not only one of the best tennis players but one of the best athletes of all time, so my assumption was that it was going to be exceptionally tough," Murray said in an interview. He went on to say, "Novak, like myself, is a perfectionist in terms of the way he goes about his tennis, [it] is highly intense." Looking Back at the Experience Looking back, Murray expressed that he is happy he accepted the role. "It's an amazing experience that I've had," he said. During their time together, Djokovic overcame Carlos Alcaraz to make the semi-finals in Melbourne, but was forced to retire injured from his clash against Alexander Zverev. Following that, upon his comeback, Djokovic endured first-round losses in Qatar and at Indian Wells, before falling in the Miami Open final to Czech teenager Jakub Mensik. "It was unfortunate what happened in Australia with the injury, but I watched him play sensational tennis in that tournament," Murray recalled. "After the injury, it was certainly a difficult few months for him, but also I think for the team and all of us. I was disheartened. Probably didn't get the results I would have liked for him. But I gained valuable insight about what coaching is." A Challenging Start and Playing Reflections Murray also disclosed an incident from his first day on the job, when he was asked to join Djokovic on a run. He suffered through calf cramps so as not to fail his fellow former world number one—a moment he labeled "awkward." Reflecting on his own stellar playing career, Murray admitted he "could have taken more breaks" to enjoy his successes, including after his two Olympic victories. Views on the Tennis Schedule The conversation shifted to the modern tennis calendar, a topic of concern among top players. Murray, who was affected by injuries in his latter career, had been against increasing the number of two-week ATP 1,000 tournaments, believing the increased time on the road would negatively impact players. "I don't think there's anything that suggests players are getting injured more than before. But I do think players are more weary and psychologically drained than they were before because they're spending more days away on the road," Murray stated. "When you're more fatigued, you're more sensitive to pain and discomfort. My feeling is that's what players are feeling now, just being away for longer. "I don't think the matches are so much more demanding than they were 10, 15 years ago. But it's the volume of time that players are away on the road that's genuinely an issue."